Doubting the future of SEO or Search Engine Optimisation
If you happen to stumble across any number of popular internet marketing or webmaster forums, one of the most hotly debated topics has to be the relevancy of SEO in these days of social media. If you also throw into the mix the fact that the Google Penguin update of early 2012 wreaked havoc amongst websites that had been heavily optimised for search engines, then it is no wonder that many believed that Search engine optimisation or SEO had lost its effectiveness.
In addition to this, the onset of social media and viral marketing have been hogging the limelight of late and traditional search engine marketing methods have kind of taken a back seat. So the question remains… Is it really time to lower the flag on SEO?
ePresence is a Digital Marketing Agency offering professional SEO Services in Cork and Nationally.
Contact Us if you are serious about growing your business.
Search engines continue to be the main entry points
The fact of the matter remains that although social media marketing is proving very popular and should be part of your marketing strategy, it is Google, Yahoo and Bing that still remain the main entry points that potential clients and businesses use to find suppliers. SEO remains a critical process for success here.
SEO is still key to managing Google Algorithm updates
We’ve already mentioned the Google Penguin update of early 2012 but this (along with its previous forbearer Google Panda) had a big impact on sites that were ‘overly’ optimised (particularly sites that used Black Hat or “Unethical” SEO). As a result, many naysayers thought that this was the beginning of the end. However, the bottom line is that Google wasn’t out to put an end to ‘on-page’ optimisation. On the contrary, they were targeting sites that had far more optimisation than relevant content and this is an important point. The search engines want great content that delivers value to the reader and as long as people are trying to skirt around this fact Google will always constantly change their algorithms. Therefore different ‘on page’ and ‘off page’ SEO techniques that are ‘search engine friendly’ need to be employed to manage rankings.
Rankings are still king
As a website owner, you may think that it doesn’t matter that you aren’t on the first page of the search engine rankings because you can still access thousands of potential customers through media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and indeed LinkedIn and maybe this is true for some. However, it is also true that many potential customers still rate the importance of website rankings and if you appear on that first page then this increases your reputation as a ‘serious’ business. As a result, you are more likely to pick up clients than someone who is on page three or four.
In truth, search engine optimisation is more relevant now than it ever has been. It’s just that it has evolved and changed. This is why it’s important for businesses to manage their online presence.
If you are looking to increase your online business, then contact us to discuss all your SEO needs.
